Summary: The aftermath.

A/N: Nov. 6 is the next chapter girlies, I'm weeping

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. As the author I do not always agree with the actions the characters take. The MC has Haphephobia. The depiction of such in the story may not be entirely accurate and I do not claim it to be so. The depictions of anxiety and OCD are based on my own personal experience and do not apply to the illnesses as a whole. There will be mentions of various sensitive topics which are updated in the tags, read at your own risk.


October 29, 1983

Tires screeching on the old, cracked pavement outside awoke many of the citizens of Forest Hills Trailer Park from their much-needed rest. Porch lights flickered on and curtains were peeked out of in attempts to catch sight of the hooligan causing all the ruckus. It was the Munson boy's new girlfriend, the spooky-looking blonde with the motorcycle they all kept their kids away from. She was trouble that one, that much was for sure, disrespecting their much-needed rest like she was.

But Mads didn't care.

She wasn't being chased, she gathered that much when she nearly wrecked as she reached out to the forest and road behind her, finding nothing. That feeling of being hunted never left her though. She couldn't go back to the motel, not now, to be alone with her thoughts. Shame and frustration filled her at the realization she was becoming far too dependent on Eddie.

She still didn't care.

Her bike skidded to a halt in front of his trailer, leaving black, dusty tire marks in its wake. Mads barely took the time to prop up the machine before she rushed up the stoop, banging frantically on the flimsy trailer door. The lights from the other porches were still on – others flickering on because of the ruckus – and people were still peeking, but she didn't let up.

The banging was so loud in the quiet night, cutting through the silence like gunshots. Wake up, wake up, wake up! Why wouldn't he wake up?

Then, to her immense relief, Eddie's porch light turned on. Immediately, she ceased her frantic pounding on the door and stood back, shaking with fear. Seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Eddie's backlit silhouette, holding what looked like a kitchen knife.

"Mads?" He said groggily, confusion coloring his tone. "What're you doing here? It's late."

At once, she rushed him, throwing her arms around his neck, and flung the door closed behind her with her mind. She heard the sound of the lock clicking into place over Eddie's confused and surprised cry. No, if anything was chasing her, it wouldn't be deterred by a paper-thin door and cheap locks, but it felt better nonetheless.

"Mads!" Eddie shouted, holding her in place with his left arm. "I've got a knife, what are you thinking?"

"I had to come, I had to," she sobbed into his t-shirt, clinging to him as though her life depended on it.

Slowly, wondering how the door was shut and locked all of a sudden, he backed them up to the kitchen counter so he could set the knife down. Mads just wouldn't let go. Through their experimenting, she had only let him hug her once, and it had not gone well at all. She had flung him away from her with strength he would have never assumed someone of her size possessed.

And now she was in his arms, shaking like a leaf. Dirt, moss, and leaves caked her clothing and any exposed skin he could see. Her face had been white and streaked with blood again, like she had another nosebleed. A bad one. They always seemed to happen whenever she was in trouble.

"What happened?" He asked, rubbing her back in circles with both hands. He felt like he would be sick just imagining the possibilities.

"Y-you wouldn't believe me if I told you." She sobbed into his shoulder, staining his shirt with tears, dirt, and dried blood.

"Try me."

Reluctantly, Eddie eased her arms from around his neck, fearing she would shatter if he moved too quickly. When he pushed her back to assess the damage, he was horrified at what he saw.

Mads' face was indeed white as a sheet, but a mass of welts, tiny cuts, dirt, and blood marred her normally beautiful features. Her neck and hands faired much the same. What the fuck? Now was certainly not the time to panic, though he very much wanted to do that. Very, very much.

"L-let's get you cleaned up, okay?" He suggested, trying to keep his voice even as he tugged her into the kitchen. "You can tell me what happened later."

Mads nodded meekly, and allowed herself to be led into the tiny kitchen. Eddie, taking advantage of the fact that she was allowing him to touch her so freely, wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her onto the countertop.

The flowy blouse that had been so perfectly pristine only a few hours ago was a mess of snags and tears. Her jeans were ripped at the knees and stained with God-knows-what. The biking boots she took such ardent care of were caked in mud and earth. What had happened since he last saw her a few hours ago?

Quickly, he got her a glass of water then rushed to the bathroom to grab the first-aid kit Wayne kept fully stocked in the cabinet under the sink. When he returned, Mads was still sitting on the counter, staring glassy eyed into space. Blood and dirt and foliage even in her hair… Holy Mary, mother of God…

He didn't want to think it. He didn't want to think it. Because thinking it would maybe make it true. But it looked like she had been–

"I wasn't," she said roughly, as though she had read his thoughts. "That's not what happened, I promise."

"That…" He faltered. He hadn't spoken aloud. "That's good I guess."

He set about cleaning her cuts and scrapes in silence. This was all just too weird. The blankets and the nosebleeds could be explained away, but the front door? Her voicing his unspoken question? The way she so easily parted his most stingy customers from their cash? Even the thing with Byers a few weeks ago… Some weird shit went down around Mads and he was unsure about how to describe, or think about it.

"Do you want to shower?" Eddie asked her gently as he swabbed the last of her cuts. He probably should have thought of that before cleaning her up, they'd need to bandage everything afterwards anyway.

A small nod and he helped her down from the countertop, leading the way to the bathroom. Scarlet stained his neck and ears when he realized what a sorry state the space was in. Toothpaste lined the sink, the counter wasn't wiped, the mirror was streaky and spotted with gunk. He didn't even want to think about the toilet.

It sure was a bachelor pad all right.

Mads didn't mind, though. She was just happy to be here, safe, with Eddie. Far, far away from that hellhole Dr. Brenner created. Away from any memory of 001, whatever his true name was. That was enough. This was enough.

"I don't have any… girl soap," Eddie said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But you can use whatever's in there. I'll- I'll go get you something to wear."

When he left, and Mads was alone, she began to shake again. The feeling of 001's hands on her, his lips on her hair – illusion or no – made her want to throw up. It was horrific, seeing the children – children she'd known since she was small – mutilated like that. His touch made things worse.

She hoped Dr. Brenner wouldn't come after her because of the display she put on with the lights, that he wouldn't realize it was her. The Lab wouldn't just be sitting empty, he was too obsessed with his experiments. No, there had to be more children in there. There had to be. She needed to believe that.

"Mads?" Eddie said, causing her to jump around to face him. "You good?"

She shook her head. No, she wasn't okay at all. When she fled from the Lab she was certain 001 would follow from wherever he was haunting her. Mads was certain she had made it into the Lab, completely and totally certain. But what happened when she turned to open the door that led away from the Rainbow Room… 001 shouldn't have been there. Not like that.

Not like that with all of the other experiments there… Like she left them. Just like she left them. None of them had aged a day. And little 011, she was missing. She wasn't among the dead, mangled corpses that 001 held aloft like puppets on a string. Mads had to believe that Dr. Brenner hadn't let 001 destroy all of them. She had to.

"What's the matter? You know you can always talk to me," Eddie hedged, setting down an old, long-sleeved t-shirt and pajama pants with little skulls printed on them which he'd long outgrown.

"Will… W-will you kiss me?" Mads asked, looking down at her toes.

"What?" Eddie gasped, taken aback. "Mads, we've talked about this, I don't wanna–"

"No," she interrupted, placing her palm against the crown of her head, right where 001 had pressed his phantom lips. "Here, not my mouth or anywhere else. Just here…"

She could feel Eddie's bewildered gaze on her, making her heart rate spike. She knew washing her hair wouldn't be enough to get rid of that tainted feeling 001 had left behind. But that didn't mean she felt good asking Eddie to do it. Instead, she felt horrible. He wasn't her little fairy godmother, there whenever she needed him to pick her up and kiss her scrapes.

But when warm lips pressed against her filthy hair, large hands cradling her jaw and neck, she had never felt so safe. So loved. He didn't let go of her when he pulled away, rather, tilting her head back so she would look at him.

"Like that?" He asked, puppy eyes wide and pleading.

"Yeah…" She replied, voice wobbling. "Like that."

With a smile, Eddie released her, dropping his hands to his sides. As though he hadn't done something monumental, something she had never let anyone do – of her own free will that is.

She honestly didn't know how to feel. It was amazing and terrifying all in one, having him touch her like that. It sent electrical currents through her in a way she had never experienced. He was safe, and thoughtful, and the best friend she could ever want or need. And instead of his touch frightening her now, it made her brain short circuit, like a radio that had water dumped on it.

Mads didn't know what that meant.

"Well," Eddie said, twisting a lock of his hair. "I'll let you shower…"

Mads nodded and he left, closing the door behind him. The water pressure was worse at Eddie's than it was in the motel, but at least it was warm. Shucking off her soiled clothes with little grace, she clambered into the shower. She wished Eddie were still with her, but she knew that would cross a line of appropriateness that people drew.

So, she reached for him despite the pounding in her head telling her she'd done too much already. What she found brought a lump to her throat, thick and unswallowable. Eddie, the "mean and scary freakazoid", was sitting on the outside of the bathroom door. He was waiting for her, listening, to make sure she was okay. She was too tired to make out the book he was reading, but she was sure it was adventure-related. Eddie was quite predictable after all.

While both Wayne and his nephew used Irish Spring soap, that was where the similarities ended. Where Wayne had a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner – something Mads wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole – Eddie had a variety of hair care products littering the small shower. She had picked a very good person to be best friends with, someone who knew how to take care of his hair.

Though, as much as she scrubbed and rinsed, she couldn't get rid of the feeling of 001's hands on her. His mouth, in spite of Eddie's replacing it moments before. She gave up eventually and scoured her wrist where the faded 009 tattoo taunted her until it was raw. One day it wouldn't bother her, she promised herself. One day. But today… today was not that day. Not after what happened.

When she was finally clean, Mads shut off the water – wincing at the screech of the old faucet handle – and toweled off, dressing in the underwear she came in and clothes Eddie had left her, rolling up the long sleeves of the t-shirt to her elbows. The clothes were soft and almost threadbare in places, well loved. They smelled like Gain and felt like a hug.

A knock at the bathroom door broke her from her reverie, and she opened it, giving Eddie a small, wan smile.

"Hey," he said, his book – "Firestarter" by Stephen King – now closed in his hand. "Ready to get you wrapped up like a mummy?"

Mads would have smiled, had she not already read the book he was holding. She would have laughed had the main characters' abilities not been so, so similar to her own. Instead, she brushed past him and headed into the kitchen where they'd left the first-aid kit, pulling herself up onto the counter then rolling the pajama pant legs to bare her scraped knees.

The fabric stung where it rubbed against the wounds, sending a tingling, alive sensation up her spine. To be in pain was not a good thing, no. But it did remind her that she was alive, in her own body. She wasn't sure she wanted to be.

"Mads…?" Eddie asked. He was standing in front of her, bandages in hand, staring wide-eyed at her wrist. "What's that? What did you do?"

Quickly, she snatched up her wrist, holding it close to her chest. She'd forgotten the leather wristband… But he had already seen. She couldn't stand the way he was looking at her, though, it also filled her with the lightest feeling she had felt in a long time. This person, this boy, this freak loved her. Cared about her. She didn't know what to do about that, but she loved him too.

With gentle hands, he set down the bandages and pulled her arm away from her chest, turning her wrist towards him. His eyes flickered in realization when he took in the faded ink and the reddened skin. He didn't ask questions, just set about bandaging the scrapes on her knees and hands. Then slathered Neosporin on the smaller cuts on her face and neck.

Why didn't he ask? People always asked before she made them forget. So why didn't Eddie? It wasn't some old stick-and-poke tattoo, surely he could recognize that, having so many of his own done professionally. Wayne was a good uncle for signing those permission slips.

"Eddie," Mads whispered as he packed everything away.

"Hm?" He hummed, looking up at her with a nervous smile.

She looked into his eyes for a moment, searching… searching for something, she didn't quite know what. Judgment, revulsion maybe? But Eddie would never give her that. Nor anyone else, save the people who dished it out to freaks like them. She didn't know why she kept expecting it.

"I… Do you want to know where I got that?" She asked, looking down at the 009 tattoo.

"If you can tell me, yeah." He leaned up against the counter next to her, crossing his arms as he too, gazed down at her wrist.

And she wanted to, God, how she wanted to. But Eddie would really think she was crazy then, and she couldn't bear it if he betrayed her, or turned her in to Dr. Brenner. One quick look into his mind would fix that once and for all, but she had resolved never to use her powers on him long ago.

Her head fell limply into her awaiting hands as she groaned in frustration. There was no easy way to tell him, no easy way to start this conversation. But he had seen too much, and it was her fault, coming here like she did. Eddie deserved the truth, and she would give it to him.

They sat there in silence, Mads waiting for questions Eddie didn't know how to form, and he awaiting the tale she inevitably had to regale. That was when it hit her, like a lightbulb flickering on over her head.

"Can I show you something?" She asked, her head flashing up to meet his eyes.

Startled, he jumped back a little. "Y-yeah, sure. You got another secret tattoo somewhere else?" A teasing expression colored over the concern on his face. "Somewhere I shouldn't see?"

"No," she deadpanned, hopping down from the counter. "Don't be stupid."

"I'm always stupid," he argued, following her into the living area.

"No, you're not."

Mads sat down on the ragged shag carpeting, crossing her legs. There were trucker hats lining the walls near the ceiling, and collectable mugs displayed openly on shelves around the space. She was certain some of those mugs were not just Wayne's as Eddie had tried to tell her on her first visit to the trailer. The hats, though they belonged to Wayne, would do perfectly for her little demonstration.

Closing her eyes, Mads breathed in once, then let it all go in one long exhale. One by one, the hats began to lift from their pegs and float towards her. Her eyes didn't have to be closed for this part, but it added to the drama. That and she was terrified of seeing Eddie's reaction. Her head began to pound again, the pressure building right behind her eyes as she manipulated the hats, rotating them in a cyclone.

The excursion into the Lab, the fight with 001, and everything tonight with Eddie… It was too much. She couldn't take much more, not today. While she was with Kali and the gang, Mads had trained herself well. Maybe not as well as she could have, had she an entire army of scientists and equipment at her beck and call, but most actions had graduated from nosebleeds and migraines to regular fatigue.

Slowly, Mads opened her eyes and set the hats down on the ground, trembling as a drop of blood trickled onto her lips. It was done. She had shown him, and it was done. All she had to do was wait. Hopefully she wouldn't have to exude more energy to rewrite his memories from tonight. That would be a shoddy job, considering how overwrought she was already.

When her bleary eyes met Eddie's, wiping her lip with the back of her hand, his own reflected back a look of shock and horror. He was pressed against the wall, looking at her with the same expression everyone else always did when they found out what she could do. It always went one of two ways after the initial terror wore off: "how can I use this to my advantage?" or "the authorities need to hear about this!"

Mads thought of The Shop in King's "Firestarter" with revulsion. No, they weren't exactly the same as Dr. Brenner, but they were close enough, and any report of her abilities to even the smallest police department would be a huge blip on his radar. She knew he listened, waiting for any indication of her or Kali's wellbeing so he could swoop in and capture them again.

"I-I… It's the day before Halloween, Mads," Eddie stammered, trying – and failing – to force a smile. He was still pressing himself into the wall, like he hoped the plywood and insulation would swallow him up, protect him from what he had just witnessed. "D-Don't you think it's a bit early for spooks?"

Her silence spoke volumes.

"You-You're not pulling something?" He asked, realization dawning on him with a shudder of ice-cold fear. "You actually just did that… Like the thing you did to Byers, you– you… you have psychokinetic powers…!"

"Yes." She forced herself to hold his gaze, wanting so badly to look away.

"That day by the picnic table…" he began.

"Yes," she answered.

"The blankets flying across the room?"

"Yes."

"The apples…?"

"Yes."

"Our customers?"

"Yes!"

By now, she wanted to cry, certain he was disgusted with her, but she refused to let a single tear fall. Nor a sob to escape her lips. It was not weak to cry, but if Eddie was no longer a friend to her, Mads would not give him the privilege of seeing the physical evidence of her sadness and heartache.

White faced, he stared at her, sliding down the wall. His expression slowly changed from one of terror to something which resembled awe. It was so like the time he saw her on the picnic table, ready to lunge at him and Steve Harrington, hands curled into wicked claws.

"Holy fuck…" He breathed, running his hands through his hair.

Holy fuck indeed. She had ruined their friendship, she knew it, and couldn't endure the thought of having to alter his memory, when this would always live in her own mind. To live with his fear and scorn would be more bearable, even if it did endanger her and her plans. What a selfish creature she was.

"Mads," Eddie started, awe and excitement alight in his eyes. "You're like a wizard no, no, a Jedi!"

What? What the hell? Eddie was starting toward her and she couldn't move a muscle. A Jedi? Like in "Star Wars"? She had never thought about it like that, but that's kind of what her abilities resembled. When he reached her, he extended his hands to help her to her feet. They were trembling.

She took them.

With a swiftness Mads neither expected nor anticipated, she was swept into his arms once again. There was really no way she could have known this was what his reaction would be, but she should have known it nonetheless. Eddie the Banished, Eddie the Freak… If anyone would see the terror of who she was and love her anyway, it would be him.

"You don't hate me?" She whispered against his shoulder, fingers tangling in the back of his t-shirt. "Please tell me that you don't hate me."

"Hate you?" Eddie responded, incredulously. "Why the hell would I hate you? You're a goddamn superhero, Mads! Yeah, it's freaky as fuck, but holy shit!"

He pulled back, holding her at arm's length. A tiny bit of fear shone through the enthusiasm and amazement, but that didn't bother her one bit. She scared herself sometimes.

"You're my best friend, Mads," Eddie said, trembling with enthusiasm as he grinned down at her. "My best friend is a goddamn superhero!"

Mads wished she could respond in kind, to his declaration of acceptance, but her legs felt suddenly weak, attempting to collapse beneath her. Eddie, always the silent hero himself, swept her off her feet and carried her to the couch, settling her gently onto the old, lumpy cushions. He then ran to the kitchen and grabbed her another glass of water, returning to her side in a matter of seconds, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"Soooo," he drawled, pressing the cool glass into her awaiting hands. "I'm sure that's not the whole of it. A tattoo doesn't appear just because you're a Jedi or whatever it is that you are."

"No." She smiled, tired and listless. "I like Jedi though… Or maybe a Sith. I'm too ruled by my emotions."

"Oh, no! You're not gonna go all 'Darth Vader' on me now, are you?" He joked, jostling her leg lightly.

Mads laughed for the first time in those wee hours of the morning. Long and loud. God, he was a treasure, one that she wished to hoard as jealously as a dragon. But she couldn't do that, it wouldn't be fair to his little sheeps.

And so, she began her story, as much of it as she knew and could remember. How her one, or both, of parents had likely been a part of MKUltra testing, and that her abilities were a result of that experimentation. That Hawkins National Lab, and its head doctor – Dr. Brenner – was responsible for the experiments. How she was taken away from her parents as a baby and only recently found out the real date of her birth.

She told him about the games she would play in the Rainbow Room, how she would vie for Papa's attention against the others. How 002 would bully her, and everyone else, when Papa gave it to them. She explained the experiments, the training, how she got her tattoo. Everything tumbled out of her when she opened her mouth, like a faucet that had its handle turned on blast then broken off.

And Eddie listened to it all. Whether he thought she was crazy or not, he never showed it on his face. There was only compassion, only mirth when he interjected some corny joke about 002 or Dr. Brenner to keep her from crying. He squeezed her hand when she told him about 001 and his manipulation, about his enraged attack that marked her so, so deeply.

His eyes widened in understanding and fury when he gazed upon the scars on her neck with enlightened eyes. Still, he held himself back from feeling them. The memory was still far too fresh, and they were not his to touch. Yeah, it was like a sci-fi horror Stephen King could only dream up, but he in no way doubted a single word Mads uttered.

Once she was finished, she drained her glass of water in a few large gulps, leaving nothing but droplets that sparkled in the trailer light. The weariness that had been chasing her all night washed over her anew. She could no longer bring herself to answer any more questions, though it was obvious Eddie was full to bursting with them.

Her eyelids grew heavy, each blink a second longer than the last, until they finally closed as the sky outside began to lighten. Eddie, ever the dutiful friend, grabbed spare blankets and threw one over her, the other over his own shoulders as he lay next to her on the floor. Before he too, fell asleep, Eddie's hand found Mads', wrapping his pinky around hers.

One question tugged at him. No, not "did she ever try and use her mind tricks on him like she did with Byers"? No, not "did she ever try to hurt him like she wanted to do to Tommy"? But, was she safe?

This Brenner guy was obviously still on the lookout for her and she was parading around town in plain sight. And she wanted to destroy this Lab, so what were her plans after that? There was something else she wasn't telling him… and he knew it. He didn't know what it was but he had a hunch.

Eddie also had a sinking feeling that she hadn't planned on returning from her mission to destroy the Lab, and if that were true… he needed to keep her safe, even from herself. Especially from herself.

When Wayne Munson crawled wearily back home from his shift at the plant early that morning, he barely registered the stray motorcycle loitering outside his trailer. Nor did he notice the porch light beaming dimly in the soft dawn.

But when he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he surely did notice the pile of his hats in the middle of the living room floor. And he noticed the discarded bandage wrappings littering the countertop. Eddie was a messy boy, and knew not to mess with his hats…

That was when Wayne finally noticed them, Mads – the sweet, if surly, little girl who'd been following his nephew around like a lost kitten – was curled up on his couch, face a mess of scrapes and red marks. His nephew was sprawled out on the floor, snoring like an animal. What surprised him most, however, was the way their hands were positioned, almost as though they had fallen asleep with them clasped together.


A/N: Yes, Eddie knows. This will keep him alive in the future. As he should have been to begin with. (or is it the past since this is taking place in the 80's?)

Also, thanks to tomieharley on for reminding me of the similarities between Stranger Things and Stephen King's "Firestarter".

The title is taken from the song "wipe your tears" by Halsey on the studio album "Manic" released in 2020.

Thanks for the subscriptions, bookmarks, comments, and kudos! I appreciate each one! (Please don't forget to leave a comment if you liked the story so far!)

This is the "mixtape" I created for this fic. It's not entirely period accurate, but I feel like these songs fit the theme of the show and characters.

playlist/2w0Fg6UPmVvj5L3EIMRYfw?si=d8e38810c96f4875